Framingham: Opponents poised for recount

FRAMINGHAM — After narrowly losing their fight to preserve Framingham’s town government, city charter opponents took early steps Wednesday to seek a recount of the municipal election.

Voters on Tuesday adopted a new city charter, choosing to end the community’s town meeting form of government and establish a new system led by a city council and strong mayor.

With more than 11,000 votes cast, the city charter question came out ahead by only 108 votes, according to new figures released by the town clerk’s office.

With the question passing by a slim margin, the ballot committee that campaigned against the change was poised Wednesday to seek a recount. Norma Shulman, a member of the group, said she pulled recount petition papers from the town clerk’s office on its behalf.

"I can tell you that we are definitely looking into the options,” Shulman said. “We want to make sure we understand all the implications. It's a lot of work to get a recount for everybody, including us.”

Under state law, recount petitions must be filed by 5 p.m. on the 10th day following the election, putting the deadline for a recount of Framingham’s city charter vote at April 14. Petitioners must collect the signatures of 10 registered voters in each precinct in which they want the ballots recounted.

Assistant Town Clerk Lisa Ferguson said several residents contacted her Wednesday to discuss the process, though the anti-charter committee was the only group to request petition papers.

"People are curious,” Ferguson said. “People want to know. They hear ‘recount’ and they want to know."

The charter question passed by a slightly larger margin of victory than originally thought on Tuesday night, according to the town’s latest figures. Ferguson said the results were adjusted after the polls closed to include eight ballots that were counted by hand. The ballots couldn’t be read by voting machines, requiring election workers to process them manually.

The “Yes” camp expanded its margin of victory by three votes as a result. A five-way race for three seats on the School Committee also proved even closer than originally thought. Unofficial results showed challenger Cheryl Gordon winning a seat on the board by only four votes. The margin was lowered to three in the latest tally.

Incumbent Jim Stockless, who lost his seat in the race, said Wednesday he doesn’t plan to seek a recount.

Turnout topped 28 percent in Tuesday’s election, one of the highest levels of participation in a municipal contest in recent memory. Of the 11,341 people who cast ballots, 5,690 voted in favor of the city charter and 5,582 opposed it.

With a small number of votes deciding the outcome, Shulman said people on both sides of the city-town debate have expressed interest in a recount, which would eliminate any question about the results.

“Even if it doesn't change one single vote, I think it's such a big decision that people will feel much calmer and accepting of it moving ahead,” she said.

Recounts are intended to be easily accessible to voters, according to Secretary of State William Galvin. Petitioners can seek to have votes recounted in an entire community or single ward or precinct. They also have a choice between getting the ballots recounted electronically or by hand. Galvin said most opt for a hand count, which is open to the public.

“That affords not only the opportunity to individually count the ballots, but it gives the opportunity also for the observers,” he said.

During a recount, observers representing the interested parties can challenge how a vote is recorded. Challenged ballots are reviewed by the Board of Registrars, a group comprised of four appointees chosen previously by the Board of Selectmen.

If Tuesday’s vote undergoes a recount, only three registrars — Linda Fields, Eng Cho and Bruce Wester — will participate. The fourth, Town Clerk Valerie Mulvey, recused herself from the process because she also served on the Charter Commission.

Galvin said recounts are common in Massachusetts, particularly in town elections, which often produce tight races.

“In general, we think recounts are worth the money,” he said.

Support for the city charter by precinct

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin.